A toast
to the confederacy of the humbled.
[Osip] My daughter is eight. She loves to read.
You will teach me what I want to know.
You will never share the contents of our conversations.
[Count] I often wonder if she'd still be alive
if I hadn't come between you two.
[Miska] Don't you think we've both lost enough?
[Count] Should I be done away with, too?
Should our whole past be done away with?
[Nina] I'm glad to do my part for Mother Russia.
What have they done to you?
Nina, please. I'm sorry. Stay.
[Osip] Be very careful, Alexander.
You are still a prisoner here.
Are you not scared of being seen with me?
[Anna] Well, it won't make a difference now.
I think my career might be over.
[Abram] You have so much more to give.
Don't waste it.
[wind whistling]
[vehicles approaching]
[band playing lively jazz music]
[narrator] The Count had been confined to the hotel
for ten years, and had found a use
for his unsurpassed knowledge of food and wine.
[Andrey] Welcome to the Boyarsky.
Head Waiter Rostov.
[narrator] While the West reeled
from the Great Depression,
Russia was facing a new dawn.
Stalin transformed the country.
Wine with labels was served once more,
and guests from across the world came
to witness the Soviet dream.
- Sir, please enjoy your meal. - Alex.
Miss Campbell.
[Freya] You'd think Tolstoy wrote this wine list.
[Count] Might I make a suggestion?
The Château Latour '99 would be an excellent choice
to accompany the lamb.
Sold.
Leplevsky, watch your tables, please.
Madam, might I show you to a table?
You can show me anything you like.
Minister of Culture.
So good to see you again, darling.
You don't really think I'd allow myself
to banish to the provinces and miss out on all the fun?
- Allow me to introduce... - I'm Anna Urbanova.
General Belsky.
I'm afraid I don't really like films.
Well, I don't really like war, so we're even.
[laughter]
[lively jazz music continues]
♪
[Anna grunts] - [song ends]
♪ lush orchestral music ♪
♪
You know, I could stay.
Well, I sleep better on my own.
Mm. With you next to me,
I'd struggle to sleep at all.
Well, it's better for us both if you go.
Certainly better for Olga,
who'll be lurking in the hall somewhere.
I'm going.
You appear to be staying.
Adieu.
[door opens]
[door closes]
♪ hopeful music ♪
♪
[chef] Two borscht, two lamb.
Two minutes on table eight.
[Demetri] Thirty seconds on the sauce.
Three lamb, one borscht.
Spring greens, Yasha.
Where the hell are my spring greens?!
Uh, 20 seconds.
He's not burnt it down yet?
Give him time.
And a clip around the ear
- if he needs it. - [Emile] Don't worry, I'll-I'll
beat the hell out of him.
- Yasha, I'll see you tonight. - [Emile] That was a joke.
I-I can send him home with some dinner...
...if you like.
[chuckling quietly]
Chef Demetri, you plan to boil that down to nothing?
Yes, Chef. I mean, no, Chef.
Start again.
[Count] Do you know what never works with women?
Leaving them entirely ignorant as to your affection for them.
The jus is cold.
As is your romantic technique.
I could give you some pointers if you like.
Table 14.
Ah. You're needed in the private dining room.
I didn't know we had an event.
We don't.
I'll take this for you.
I ordered us some... duck.
Ah. Very good.
If that is giving you any bother,
I could easily--
Expertly done.
[wine pouring]
[bottle thuds]
I did something wrong.
Uh...
A gentleman would always serve their guest first,
and he would never gesticulate with his knife.
Thank you.
How did you get on with Monsieur Hugo?
And what of Inspector Javert and Valjean?
I found it hard to believe
a prisoner would save his tormentor.
And I don't understand why Javert kills himself.
Because he believes a criminal cannot change.
When Valjean saves him, proving his innate goodness,
Javert's worldview crumbles
and he can see no way to continue.
[cutlery clinking]
I don't buy it.
I wouldn't expect you to.
Because I'm a brute?
Because you are a product of our time.
While you remain a product of yours.
Instead of Nizhny Novgorod,
you have the Metropol Hotel as your fiefdom.
Well, if you'd be willing to give me back my old estate,
I would gratefully accept.
You're useful to me here.
Alexei Nachevko,
our new minister of culture--
you have a particular insight into his character.
No more than any other guest.
But you know Miss Urbanova.
Well, everyone in Moscow knows Miss Urbanova.
Questions about Nachevko's loyalty have been raised.
I know nothing about him,
other than he likes his lamb medium rare,
which makes Emile apoplectic.
I want to know who he meets-- how often,
what they speak about-- everything.
There must be any number of people
that could do that for you.
I want you to do it.
I would never dishonor myself or the hotel
by betraying the confidence of the guests.
You will.
♪ tense, ominous music ♪
♪
The hostesses in the bar know how to contact me.
[lively chatter] - [playing an upbeat tune]
♪
Scotch, please, Audrius.
- Single malt? - Sure.
Make that two.
You'll drink with me, won't you, Alex?
Freya, I implore you to call me Alexander.
Not Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov?
My country did away with honorifics.
- It's just Alexander now. - Hmm.
I think you're far more interesting than that.
Mm. Very much doubt it.
[Freya] A prerevolutionary aristocrat
sentenced to a lifetime of house arrest
in a hotel
reinvents himself as a waiter.
Americans love stories of resilience and redemption
now more than ever,
with the dollar still on its knees.
It'd make for a great feature in my paper.
Well, you'll just have to find another subject
for such a heartwarming tale. Thank you.
I've been looking for a good story for three months.
You think I'm taking no for an answer?
Well, whether you take it or not is irrelevant.
I'm not changing my mind.
Even if it means you have a chance to tell your truth?
Salud.
[Count] Oh, I do-- Please,
uh, f-forgive me.
Excuse me. Nina?
Nina Kulikova?
It is you.
Uh...
I'll just be a minute, Leo.
It's so good to see you again.
And you,
Alexander Ilyich.
I hear you're waiting tables at the Boyarsky now.
Yes.
For several years.
Andrey tolerates me, and Emile, well...
he tries his best.
An-- An-And you?
You're still in the Komsomol, I see.
Been living in Leningrad for five years now.
Goodness.
Has it really been that long?
Yeah, I'm not staying.
We're... passing through on our way east.
Ah. Yes.
To aid Stalin and his great collectivization project.
It's time for the common land to serve the common good.
Well,
- you should stay for a drink. - I should go.
It was good seeing you again.
Yes.
♪ soft, somber music ♪
♪
[Count] I imagine you must have been very busy
in Donetsk, if the brevity
if your letters is anything to go by.
Yes. There's a lot of work to be done.
And we're only just getting started.
I see our cultural minister
still avails himself of the very best Russia has to offer.
[scoffs softly]
What do they have you doing now?
Shalamov has asked me to transcribe
all of Chekhov's private letters for publication.
What an enormous honor.
Yes, you'd think so.
You see, at first,
I thought I must have made a mistake, but it's just
as Chekhov wrote it.
Read.
Go on.
Read it.
"The bread here is amazing.
I've been stuffing my face with it.
The coffee is excellent, and the dinners...
are beyond words."
[both] "People who have never been abroad
don't know how good bread can be."
Chekhov was in Germany when he wrote that.
I'm sorry, Mishka, um, what am I missing?
It's to be struck off,
apparently on Director Shalamov's orders.
It would seem that to compliment another country's bread
is to criticize Russian bread.
Imagine what my response was.
No, Mishka, I can't begin to imagine what your response was.
It's madness, and I told them so.
At length?
I spoke my mind, yes.
I'm meeting with Director Shalamov at the end of the week.
Where, I assume, you will object to the cuts.
Vehemently.
Uh, it's not that I disagree...
Do you think it's wise?
After all, these are Chekhov's letters,
not the final act of The Cherry Orchard.
- Words matter. - Mishka,
you have earned the right to speak your mind,
I have no doubt.
But do take care not to antagonize them.
Don't rant.
Try not to be...
well, you.
Then who would I be?
Just promise me you'll be careful.
I will do my best.
♪ low, somber music ♪
♪
[door opens]
I hope it's not too early.
I know how you enjoy your morning routine.
Nina.
What a pleasant surprise.
[chuckling]
[chuckles]
I wasn't ashamed.
When I saw you last week.
It's just been so long.
Oh, Nina.
There's no need for you to explain.
Still, it wasn't behavior befitting...
- a princess. - Well,
I think the age of princesses is behind us now.
It is.
But even so,
the importance of...
good posture and manners is timeless.
- [sighs] - We may also refrain
from rolling our eyes.
We must respect our gray-haired elders.
A few odd gray hairs
does not make one gray-haired.
[chuckles softly]
Will you be in Moscow long?
My comrades and I are leaving for Donetsk tonight.
Oh. Mishka just got back from there.
Well, I'm going to aid the shock workers
in the collectivization of farms.
Farming, Nina?
I never guessed that was of interest to you.
It's the greater project that interests me.
It's a historical necessity.
Oh.
I...
Does a teacher only teach his own children?
Does a physician only care for his parents?
Does a fuddy-duddy ever stop being a fuddy-duddy?
[chuckling]
No.
- I shouldn't think so. - Oh,
that's what I was afraid of.
Don't worry.
- It suits you. - [chuckles softly]
Will your gentleman friend
be amongst your party?
- Who? - The young man I saw
waiting for you last time you visited the hotel.
- Leo? - Perhaps your adventure
will include romance.
There won't be any time for that.
Nina,
the heart must always be a priority.
And what of your heart?
Are you still engaged in your secret trysts with your actress?
I have no idea what you're talking about.
- [chuckles] - Come.
I want to show you something.
A part of the hotel that not even you discovered.
[chuckles softly]
♪ soft, whimsical music ♪
♪
[chuckles]
[chuckling]
You can see all of Moscow from up here.
Keep them with me.
Always.
[chuckles softly]
[laughing]
[clears throat]
Oh, my goodness.
- Mmm. - Stay for dinner.
I'll ask Andrey for the night off.
We'll have the finest table in the Boyarsky.
The train leaves tonight.
[Count] We used to have so much fun together.
You got me into trouble.
As I recall, it was you who led me astray,
- dear little Nina. - [laughs]
Not so little.
No. Not so little anymore.
You couldn't imagine how much I mourned
the loss of our friendship.
I hold myself entirely responsible.
Nothing was lost.
Merely misplaced.
Is there nothing I can say to dissuade you from leaving?
What would I do? Stay here instead?
Yes! We'd live off room service.
We'd order the finest dishes,
straight from the hands of Emile.
Mmm.
What we're doing in Donetsk-- it's important.
And without it,
we wouldn't be able to feed the people in the cities.
The factories would grind to a halt.
And what about living your own life?
You're still so young.
Hmm.
- [sizzling] - [indistinct chatter]
One mousse aux fraises, one meringue au moka for table two.
[Emile] Where's my jus, Demetri?
Citizen Petrovychk.
♪ ominous music ♪
♪
Demetri.
Needs two more minutes.
Yasha.
Saucier station.
Everyone... back to work.
Who will be next?
♪ dark, dramatic music ♪
♪
[Count] I need to speak with you. I don't have much time.
What are you doing?
Good evening, comrade.
Apologies. I didn't mean to disturb you.
[Nachevko] Alexander Ilyich Rostov, isn't it?
- Why are you here? - [Count] Uh, t-to check
that everything is in order with your dish.
You are not as discreet as you think.
The attraction was obvious from the start.
Alexander and I have an arrangement.
Practical one, I might add.
Nothing more.
I see.
I'll leave you to it.
Good night.
- What were you thinking? - I wanted to warn you.
He's dangerous. Being close to him is dangerous.
[Anna] Being close to him
is the only hope I have of resurrecting my career.
He's being watched by the secret police.
They're watching everybody.
Please, Anna. I-I'm only trying to protect you.
Alexei's men should secure me a part in a film.
My first in years.
No, I understand how important that must feel to you...
Feel?
It is important.
- Anna. - Olga and I--
we're in constant danger.
The secret police, the army,
men on the street, men anywhere.
We have never needed anyone else's protection.
We protect each other.
[Count] I've grown to care a great deal for you.
That's all. I care for you both.
Please...
just be careful.
[door opens]
[door closes]
[soft creak]
♪ soft, atmospheric music ♪
♪
Mishka. What are you doing in here?
You scared me half to death.
What happened?
My meeting with Shalamov didn't go well.
So they did this to me.
We agreed you would remain calm.
I did.
Until I couldn't take it anymore.
Apologize.
- No. - Beg if you have to.
- I won't. - Take back every word.
I meant every word.
They will forgive you.
You'll be forgiven.
Just... for the love of God--
They're dying, Alexander.
Who are dying?
What are you talking about?
♪ quiet, dramatic music ♪
The very people I fought to free.
The farmers have been kicked off their land
and now the crops are failing.
- In Donetsk? - All across the country.
I've seen children
with stomachs swollen from hunger.
And it is only going to get worse.
But I've heard nothing of any of this.
The kitchen storeroom is overflowing with food.
Because they need to maintain appearances
for foreign visitors.
Nina's on her way to Donetsk.
Then I hope she has the sense to leave
- as soon as she arrives. - Why didn't you say something?
I could have warned her.
I was asha-- Because I was ashamed.
I was ashamed.
You must think me a fool.
I would never think that.
I truly believed
we were going to build a better world.
I believed it.
I'm sorry.
Oh, Mishka.
[crying]
I'm so sorry.
I feel like we've been here before.
If I'm not saving you, you're trying to save me.
Can't decide if we're
incredibly good for each other or incredibly bad.
I am sorry.
I never truly expected you to keep your counsel.
I've known you too long.
Where does it end?
If everyone accepts the lies and only thinks of themselves,
what kind of world are we left with?
Lies upon lies until the truth ceases to exist.
There must still be a way out of this.
I publicly insulted Stalin.
I'm afraid of what they'll do to me.
I love you, Mishka.
♪ slow, somber music ♪
I love you, too.
♪ tense music ♪
[elevator bell dings]
- [indistinct chatter] - [Count] Thank you.
♪
- [flame whooshes] - [metal clattering]
[indistinct chatter]
[Bishop] Comrade Glebnikov,
delighted to have you with us this evening.
Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice.
Of course.
Let me show you to your table.
♪ soft, upbeat music playing ♪
- Yay. - [Count] Bravo.
Did you wish to see more of your papa?
It won't come true if I tell.
It won't come true if you don't.
Poppet, why don't you cut the cake?
Don't call me that.
You're embarrassing the girl.
Yes?
Comrade Glebnikov, did you get my message?
I'm having dinner with my family.
♪ quiet, tense music ♪
I said I'm having dinner with my family.
Do you want some?
Alina, we use our cutlery to eat, not point.
On your daughter's birthday?
- Please, Maria. - So that's why you insisted
- we come here? - Do you really want
to talk about my business?
A bigger slice than that, poppet.
Papa is hungry.
[pigeons cooing]
Never speak to me in front of my family again.
[Count] I'm sorry.
- I presume - [door closes]
this concerns Mikhail Mindich.
You've seen him recently?
[Count] I did. I have.
Then you know of the trouble he's in.
Since long before the revolution,
he is a loyal part of the movement.
I see no way back for him.
Well, th-then why did you respond to my message?
I was curious to know whether your sense of honor
would prevent you from saving your friend.
♪ suspenseful music ♪
♪
What of Nachevko?
Comrade Nachevko possibly has a...
a weakness for alcohol.
Other than that, he is unremarkable.
Who does he meet with?
Any number of people.
General Belsky?
Yes.
They're both frequent visitors to the hotel.
They dine together, drink together.
We suspect Belsky is plotting to overthrow Stalin.
He wants Nachevko's help in doing so.
Well, if you know all this,
I really don't see what you need me for.
They're powerful men.
Evidence to their plotting
would make my case irrefutable.
Whatever happened to the good old days
when you could drag a man out into the street
and beat a confession out of him?
What'll happen to Belsky and Nachevko?
I'd be more concerned about what will happen to Mikhail Mindich.
You've killed before for someone you love.
Why the hesitation now?
You and I aren't so different.
We all do what's necessary to survive
so our loved ones survive.
Find something I can use.
You have until tomorrow evening.
♪
♪ somber music ♪
♪
[Mishka] Sasha, you'll be condemning
Nachevko and Belsky to their deaths.
But to save your life.
You've killed a man before and no good came of it.
What was it you said all those years ago?
Everything that happened was because of me.
I was angry.
Helena would never have been involved
with a man like Pulunov.
But I sent you away.
She was hurt.
Vulnerable.
And still in love with you.
And he knew. And he punished her for it.
It was a mistake to kill Pulunov then.
It is a mistake to do this now.
I've forgiven many things, Alexander,
but if you debase yourself,
if you collaborate with those butchers,
if you condemn those men
to their deaths to protect me...
it will dishonor us both.
And it will be the end for us.
[lively chatter] - [upbeat music playing]
Party of five on table seven.
Ah. Yes.
Thank you, Andrey.
Madam.
Thank you.
Miss Urbanova. Our menus for this evening.
- Anything you would recommend? - It's all excellent.
Uh, before we get into all that... Champagne.
Two bottles of Krug '28.
Ah, what are we celebrating this evening?
The start of production on my new film.
Congratulations.
I'm sure it will be a huge success.
Two bottles of Krug.
Tonight will be my treat.
Room 406.
♪ dark, atmospheric music ♪
Ah. I will have your drinks sent over right away.
♪
♪ Say it isn't so ♪
[piano playing a gentle tune]
♪ Say it isn't so ♪
♪ Everyone is saying ♪
♪ You don't love me ♪
♪ Say it isn't so ♪
♪ Everywhere I go ♪
♪ Everyone I know ♪
- ♪ Whispers ♪ - [laughter]
♪ That you're growing tired of me ♪
♪ Say it isn't so ♪
♪ People say that you ♪
♪ Have found somebody new... ♪
Vodka, please, Audrius.
♪ And it won't be long ♪
♪ Before you leave me ♪
♪ Say it isn't true ♪
[men laughing]
♪ Everywhere I go... ♪
[elevator bell dings]
♪ Everyone I know... ♪
[laughter continues]
♪ Whispers ♪
♪ That you're growing tired of me ♪
♪ Say ♪
♪ It isn't so ♪
♪ People say that you ♪
- ♪ Have found somebody new... ♪ - [laughter continuing]
[laughs]
♪ And it won't be long ♪
♪ Before you leave me ♪
♪ Say it isn't true... ♪
Enjoying your bread?
Russian bread.
Finest in all the world.
You're drunk.
[Mishka] Ooh.
Is this bread from Berlin? Careful, comrade.
Take a single bite and Shalamov will shoot you from a cannon.
Keep your mouth shut.
[Mishka] You're right.
I should be silent.
We should all be silent!
No matter how many of us die.
No matter how many our beloved leader a-allows to starve,
we should all be silent.
So, forget your German bread, forget your French bread.
There is only one true bread in all the world.
That belongs to Russia!
Russian bread!
The one true bread...
is Russian bread!
♪ dramatic music ♪
♪
[indistinct chatter]
[Osip] You have something?
This is not one of your pretty stories.
This is the reality of the world we live in.
- We have a choice. - Oh, I don't see that you do.
Who are Belsky and Nachevko to you?
You killed a man for your sister's honor
but you won't give me what I need to help your friend.
I would be condemning them to their death.
Better them than Mindich.
Either way, the choice is yours.
Actually, the choice is yours.
You can stop this from happening.
Save Mishka.
Prove your case against your enemies.
Do the honorable thing.
- Yes. - Your world is gone, Alexander.
So forget honor. There's no such thing.
I don't believe that.
And more importantly, neither does Mishka.
Then you will never see your friend again.
Why? Did something happen?
Osip.
♪ dark, atmospheric music ♪
Your friend put on quite a show.
Thank you, Bogdan. I'll take it from here.
[elevator whirs]
- Freya. - [scoffs]
Just when I thought this evening
couldn't get any more interesting.
There was a man taken from here tonight.
His name is Mikhail Fyodorovich Mindich.
You'll need to write this down.
He spent most of last year in the region of Donetsk,
- Alexander... - He witnessed the beginning
of a terrible famine.
Stop.
There is no famine.
Does the truth not matter to you?
I have a life here.
And right now, so do you.
I like you, Alexander.
I'll never repeat what you just told me.
Neither should you.
[elevator whirs]
♪ slow, somber music ♪
♪
[narrator] No one ever discovered the truth
about Nachevko and Belsky's relationship.
But the party had little regard for the truth.
When it suspected disloyalty...
...it simply applied pressure until someone broke.
Stalin held the country in an iron grip of fear.
And no one was safe.
Russia's people starved
and the revolution devoured its children.
But the guests in the Metropol--
they still experienced
the very best Russia had to offer.
And the staff...
[door opens]
...well, they took solace
- in each other. - [door closes]
- Delicious again. - [Emile] Ah, it's nothing.
Leftovers.
Ours is such a brief moment on this Earth.
♪ gentle music ♪
Don't let the best bits pass you by.
[door opens]
Uh, Marina?
[door closes]
I'll-I'll-I'll cook for you tonight.
I'd cook for you every night.
You've done enough of that already. [chuckles]
I'll cook for you.
I'm going to kiss you now.
- Later. - Oh, yes, absolutely.
♪
♪ wistful music ♪
[people exclaiming]
[narrator] Although life changed for the people around him...
- [cheering] - [applause]
...the Count's life remained the same.
Until one evening,
the door of the hotel spun once more,
and fate flung someone into the lobby
who would change the Count's life forever.
[piano playing Chopin's "Nocturne in E Flat Major"]
[indistinct conversation]
Fancy a nightcap later, Vasily?
[sighs] I'd fall asleep if I did.
All right. Good night, then.
[Nina] Alexander Ilyich?
Nina.
Has something happened?
Nina, you're shaking.
[Nina] My husband's in trouble.
Your husband?
Leo. He's been arrested
and he's been sentenced to five years corrective labor.
- I'm so sorry. - They're putting him
on the train tonight for Sevvostlag.
I'm gonna follow him.
No, Nina. I don't think that's a good idea.
What I need is for someone to watch over Sophia
while I get myself settled.
♪ slow, somber music ♪
I'll come back for her.
It may take several weeks or
even a month.
I've got no one else to ask.
M-My father, he...
Oh, I'm so sorry, Nina.
[sniffles]
Please, Alexander. I have no one.
I-I will. Of course I will. I will.
[chuckles] Yes.
[exhales]
Sophia, this is the man I told you about.
Your Uncle Alexander.
And he's gonna look after you for a short while,
and then I'll be back.
Then we'll go on the long train to Papa.
That's right, my sweet.
And then we'll take the long train to Papa.
I love you.
These are her things.
And, um, you-you should probably
take this, too.
You were right.
I should have stayed.
I wish I stayed.
♪ mournful music ♪
♪
Thank you for everything.
Yes.
♪